SPOILER ALERT: ‘How I Met Your Mother’ ends with one last twist

SPOILER ALERT: ‘How I Met Your Mother’ ends with one last twist

That was the big bombshell from Monday night’s final episode of “How I Met Your Mother,” which piled on one surprise after another.

When Ted finally finished the story for his kids, they called him on it: His story wasn’t all about how he met their mother (she was barely in the story), it was about how much he loved Robin.

As many had theorized, the mother of Ted’s children (whose name was Tracy McConnell, by the way), had been dead for years by the time he told his story.

So, in the last of many flash-forwards in this finale, Ted went to the street in front of Robin’s apartment and showed up with that blue French horn, the same one he stole for her in the first episode.

Robin, of course, had long ago divorced Barney — the first big shocker of the night.

Barney, however, we would learn, became a father, and in one of several touching scenes from the episode, finally found the love of his life in baby Ellie.

Marshall and Lily, pregnant with their second child in the present day, went on to have a third, but Lily was heartbroken when Robin decided she couldn’t be as much a part of their gang anymore, due in part to Barney continuing to be, well, Barney around her.

And what about the mother, aka Tracy? We finally did see that moment of the two meeting at that train station, and it was played perfectly by Josh Radnor and the Emmy-worthy Cristin Milioti.

They wouldn’t get married for several years, having postponed their wedding when Tracy got pregnant with their first child.

Ted shared with his kids that he learned he had to love their mother with everything he had in him, through good times and bad, especially during her illness.

Needless to say, the show stayed true to form, as it had in all its nine years, wearing its heart on its sleeve. And if your eyes stayed dry through the entire episode, you’re probably a stronger person than most viewers.

Of course, the big Robin twist didn’t exactly sit well with everyone online (people such as Rocco Horvath @RoccoRacingAMA, who tweeted, “It took me so long to get over the fact Ted and Robin weren’t going to end up together and now this?! Mixed Emotions”), and the finale seems to have split viewers more than any since “Lost.”

Other viewers were more forgiving. “#HIMYM creators stayed true to the story,” tweeted fan John Eisele. “Finale fit the show, even if it is not what I wanted. Can’t stop thinking about it. #HIMYMFinale.”

What do you think? Do you wish Tracy had stayed alive and Ted didn’t ultimately end up with Robin? Or do you think it was a fitting ending? For that matter, what do you think about Barney and Robin splitting up? Let us know in the comments and give yourself a self-five for making it all the way through nine seasons.